HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – A heavy column of black smoke could be seen for miles Tuesday morning as firefighters scrambled to contain a two-alarm fire at a Palm River auto salvage yard. The emergency began at 10:45 AM when dispatchers at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue received a flurry of 911 calls reporting flames at 5404 24th Avenue South.
The first crews to pull up on the scene were met with intense heat and a wall of fire that was already beginning to crawl toward nearby buildings.
Recognizing the risk of the fire spreading to those structures, commanders quickly called for a second alarm, bringing in a wave of extra engines and manpower to help settle the situation…